What Do You Get the Man Who Has $150 Million?? Health!

What Do You Get the Man Who Has $150 Million??
Health! By Kyle Elfrink

According to the accounting over at Baseball-Reference.com,
Joshua Holt Hamilton, has already banked over $60 million. He's locked in for
another $90 million (!) over the next three seasons.

According to the accounting over at BaseballProspectus.com,
Joshua Holt Hamilton, has piled up over 70 entries in their injury
catalog.

According to the accounting here at the offices of Kyle,
Elf, & Rink Associates, Joshua Holt Hamilton, is barely worth your time in
fantasy baseball for 2015.

Harsh?! Reality can be that way sometimes.

Earlier in the week came news that the Angels'
highly-profitable outfielder would miss close to two months because of surgery
to repair an AC joint in his shoulder. Anyone who suffered through a Hamilton
at-bat a season ago, knew that he needed to get the thing fixed. His bat was
slow, his contact was as soft as puffy, white clouds, and his slugging
percentage cratered ... a career-worst mark of .414! Oh, and how he loved to chase
sliders. It was akin to watching Romeo run around at a brothel.

There is so much to chew on here. First, why did the
franchise and the player wait this long to get things fixed? The shoulder was
barking throughout 2014. When things came crashing down after an October
flame-out against Kansas City, Hamilton should have immediately headed to the
knife man. Instead, he rested and prayed to the baseball gods. Then as soon as
he starts prepping for the upcoming year, he concludes he's not feeling too
great. To cut to the chase ... this exemplifies a terrible job of protecting your
assets.

The good news for the fantasy owner is that you are not
team owner, Arte Moreno. You aren't stuck with Hamilton. You aren't 'paying'
Hamilton. And, you can easily avoid having to draft him on your team this year.

To channel Nancy Reagan, JUST ... SAY ... NO.

On the off chance that Hamilton beats the timetable and
gets some action in the spring, would you really want this version of the
former-MVP? He'll turn 34 in May. He's been a mess in the box since he got to
the West Coast, averaging one home run for every 30 at-bats (his career mark
before arriving in Anaheim was one shot for every 18 at-bats).

The numbers don't brake there ... take your pick ...

·A K% of under 20% pre-LA; A K% beyond 26% with the Angels

·A BB% near 8.5% pre-LA; A BB% of 7.8% with the Angels

·An XBH% near 11.5% pre-LA; a XBH% of 8.8% with the Angels

If you find yourself now arguing, "But, Kyle, he was
injured in his two seasons with the Angels," then, might I propose you
invest in a years' subscription to Luminosity because your memory sucks! He's
injured all the time! There is no such thing as a healthy Josh
Hamilton. You would be better served to pick up the search for Amelia Earhart.

Sure, the shoulder may get repaired, but that only means
another part of the body will produce fantasy aches later in the season. Just
look at the laundry list of problems that have cropped up on Hamilton in less
than two calendar years in Anaheim ... shoulder, ribcage, thigh, finger, knee,
thumb, lower leg, ankle, wrist, sinus infection, lower back. All in less than
24 months! The NFL has fewer problems!

We're looking at player who, to me, cannot be listed as a
top 65 outfielder for this season (our Fantistics.com update currently
has him sliding down to #56 at the position). In other words, you're talking
about a guy who comes off after the 20th-round in a 12-team league.
Even then, you better have a 'Hamilton Spot' (aka, a 'DL slot') on your roster.
If you don't, you're only carrying dead weight that is keeping you from earning
numbers in the here and now.

By the way, don't ever underestimate the value of the 'here
and now.' It's remarkable to me how each season, we come across thousands of
fantasy owners who are holding onto a guy in the minors, a decent talent who
will be on the DL for the next month, or a pitcher who is set to return from a
major arm surgery at the mid-point of the year. There can be some exceptions,
but I would wager that in 80% of these situations, it's time to move on and grab
someone who can help you in the here and now.

This year, Hamilton will offer a classic case of this
neurosis. I know that he'll be drafted in your league. And, he'll probably
even pull off a months' worth of good games. That leaves us with five months of
injuries and ugly stats.

If you are taking a look at a 6th outfielder on
draft day, I would be much more interested in (deep breath) ... Dexter
Fowler, Yasmany Tomas, Desmond Jennings, Michael Bourn, Marlon Byrd, Angel
Pagan, and Arismendy Alcantara. And, on and on.

Let's understand that this argument stands no matter when
Hamilton returns from this shoulder surgery. We will still have an injury-prone
player ... in his mid-30s ... coming off of two bad seasons ... who has lost his pop ...
and, can't run. It's just too much for Hamilton to overcome.

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Fantistics is proud to have Kyle Elfrink join it's team of baseball analysts. Kyle of SirusXM Fantasy Sports Radio has covered all manner of sporting events, yet still considers a dugout interview with his hero, Ellis Burks, as his career...